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Category: Dexcom

Dexcom: One Week Later

Chris Stocker

I have been using Dexcom for longer than a week, but I’m just now getting a chance to write this post. I shared my thoughts on my first 24 hours with Dexcom, so now it’s time for my first week with Dexcom.

Comfort

From the time I inserted the sensor until it ended and I removed it, there was no discomfort. I inserted the first sensor just under my left breast. I was very happy with the comfort of the insertion and the fact that I barely even knew it was there for an entire week.

Adhesive

The adhesive stuck for an entire week. Now, I did have to use some reinforcements during the week. I started going back to the gym, so the sweat was really making the sensor adhesive come off of my skin. I actually used the Medtronic sensor tape to help reinforce the Dexcom adhesive. I’ve included an image to show you the Medtronic sensor tape in case you have never seen it. I cut it in half and then put half on the top of the Dexcom sensor and half on the bottom.

Accuracy

I cannot complain about the accuracy at all. There were a few finger stick checks that were a bit off, but nothing that was more than a few percentage points off. The accuracy came back quickly after a calibration. Two thumbs up for accuracy.

Overall Thoughts

So, my overall thoughts are that I am super excited and happy with the Dexcom. I’m going to do a full post on the Dexcom Clarity reports, but my time in range has increased tremendously in just one week being on Dexcom. Wearing it has allowed me to become an it more aggressive with my insulin as well. No fear of lows. No more not knowing my blood sugar is high until I test and going 2 hours with a high blood sugar and then another hour until it came back down.

More to come in later posts, but those are my initial feelings after a week.

First 24 Hours with Dexcom

Chris Stocker 2 Comments

This post was originally written last week, but just now posting it….

I’ve been using my Dexcom for a little over 24 hours now, close to the 36 hour range. My initial thoughts are pretty simple….AWESOME!

If you haven’t checked out my Dexcom G5 Unboxing video yet, go check it out.

I have had a CGM in my life in the past, but I didn’t wear it consistently. It was always a hassle and a pain and I was just always too lazy to insert a new sensor.

My first sensor insertion was super easy and was done in seconds.

The first sensor site that I chose was where I used to wear my Medtronic sensor which is just under the breast. I like this spot because I don’t feel it and it does not move a lot.

I have problems using my stomach because of how overweight I am and the “rolls” that I have on my stomach. This causes the sensor to fall off pretty quickly.

Setting up the receiver and the app on my phone was pretty easy as well. I also wear an Apple Watch, so I installed the app on my phone as well. Being able to use my phone to see my current glucose levels is one of the primary reasons I was so excited to start wearing a Dexcom. And, I must say, it didn’t fail. It is pretty exciting to see those numbers right on my watch.

The 2 hour waiting period was not a big deal for me. I’ve been without a CGM for such a long time that 2 more hours isn’t that much. We will see how the 2-hour warm up period is when I am so used to having the CGM data.

 

Everything has been pretty accurate so far. Meter and CGM have not been more than 10 “points” off, so that’s a huge plus.

I have set my low and high limits at 70 and 200. I will slowly move the 200 “high” down to 150. I am still getting used to MDI and now that I have the CGM, I can get a lot more aggressive with my insulin. Previously, I had to rely on feeling low or testing more often. At this point, with the CGM, I am ready to get aggressive to hit my overall time in range goals and ultimately my A1C  (although I don’t put too much weight on that number, it’s still a goal of mine)

I haven’t had two consecutive A1C’s below 7.0 in almost 10 years, so that is my goal.

That’s pretty much everything from my first 24 hours with Dexcom.

I will continue to share my journey with Dexcom and how it has helped me manage my diabetes.

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Called a Dexcom Rep

The Time I Called a Dexcom Rep

Chris Stocker 1 Comment

So, as you may know, I have recently stopped using an insulin pump. The insulin pump that I was using was the 670G. I loved the accuracy of the CGM, but unfortunately, I can’t wear it without using the insulin pump part of the product. Since, I have decided to go back to MDI, I will need to start using a Dexcom as my CGM of choice.

Calling Dexcom

So, for the first time ever, I called a Dexcom rep.

I used a Dexcom for a few months about 8 years ago. I don’t even remember what model it was, but I do remember it was the egg shaped one. I was given the Dexcom for free because of the company that I worked for at the time. I know there have been a lot of changes to Dexcom since then and I never really paid attention to them because I knew that I was a Medtronic user, so I didn’t bother keeping up with the product.

I’ve seen a lot of the great things (Nightscout, AppleWatch, iPhone app, etc.), but I definitely don’t know much about them. I am excited to get caught up on all of the technology and the Dexcom lifestyle.

Teacher Becomes the Student

Dexcom Integrations
Photo Courtesy of Dexcom

My niece has been using a Dexcom for over a year now, so it looks like I will now be the student to my brother and sister-in-law who have been learning anything and everything about Dexcom since my niece was diagnosed.

As soon as I made the decision to give up pumping and go back to MDI, I called my local Dexcom rep and explained how I was giving up pumping and he was a bit shocked by my decision to go back to MDI.

He was extremely helpful and got the ball rolling right away. Which, when it comes to my health, I don’t want to wait, I want it now! (Except for the whole losing weight thing, that seems to be something I push off).

It looks like there is going to be a lot more Dexcom related content coming to The Life of a Diabetic.

I have put in the call to Dexcom and submitted my insurance information and now am in waiting mode.

As soon as I know something, you will know something!

Levemir and Apidra – My New Best Friends

Chris Stocker 2 Comments

levemir-flexpenA couple of weeks ago I started thinking about taking a break from the pump.  The reasons for doing this have been adding up for a long time, but I just always told myself that I would never go off of the pump because it just made my life so much easier than it was when I was on MDI.  That easier life began to change.  Over time my sets started to leak after only 1-2 days, when I would have a hard workout the set would start to peel off, injecting a Quick Set infusion set began to hurt a little bit more every time that I inserted a new one,  insurance changes made it more costly for me to pay for infusion sets (pay out of pocket) meaning that every time I lost a set or it leaked, it was about $10-15 I was losing (luckily the DOC is awesome and there are several people that helped me out during this time).

These were the main reasons for wanting to head off the pump for a little bit.  It was also the fact that corrections with my pump are not working as well as when I use a syringe or a pen and take a correction bolus.  The final reason is something that may not be true, but I definitely feel it has some thing to do with each other.

Since I have been on the pump, I have gained nearly 50 pounds.  I’m not blaming it on the pump, but I don’t think it’s just a coincidence.  When I was taking MDI’s, I counted carbs better because I only wanted to take one shot.  On the pump, if I mis-calculated, no problem, I just hit a few more buttons.  When I was on MDI’s I didn’t eat a second portion because then I had to dial up another shot, but on the pump, I went ahead and had that second plate, or random bag of chips or snack here and there, because all I had to do was hit a few buttons on the pump.

Just hitting a few buttons on the pump is also one of the reasons why I loved the insulin pump.

After many discussions with family and my doctor, and with the help of now having a Dexcom to better track my BG, I have decided to switch back to MDI.  I will be using Apidra pens and Levemir pens.  When I was using MDI back in the day, I used Lantus and not Levemir, but I’m giving it a shot.

So, here goes to being back on MDI.

Finally Some at Home Dexcom Reporting

Chris Stocker 1 Comment

If you know me, or have seen any pictures of my technology, you will know that I am a Mac user.  After spending the first 23 years of my life hating Apple, for no apparent reason, and thinking that people that used Macs are a bunch of dorks, I made the switch to an iPhone several years back and then the conversion took place quickly.  iPad and then a Macbook Pro.  I do use VirtualBox on my MBP, but I don’t ever use it, because just like with any Windows machine, there are updates and installs I have to do every single day.  So, when I don’t use it for 30-45 days, it takes 2 hours just to go through all of the updates.

Without being able to run my reports for my Dexcom on my MBP, I could only get reports when I went to the endo, and that usually only consisted of the last 7 days.

I have an old laptop from my Windows days that I have been wanting to re-install Windows, clean it up and be able to run my Dexcom reporting on there.  After about a year, I finally got around to it and I installed the Dexcom software and ran my own Dexcom reports at home for the first time since I’ve had a Dexcom.

As much as I hated working with Windows again, I was just as excited to finally have access to data that I’ve always wanted.

6 Month Old Dexcom Sensors

Chris Stocker 2 Comments

It was time to insert a new Dexcom sensor yesterday, so I decided to use one of the sensors that expired in November.  I was a little weary of using a sensor with that long of an expiration date, but I figured that I better use it now before it gets even further past the expiration date.

Long story short, the first 24 hours have been pretty spot on.  There was a little stretch of having a wacky BG reading, but that is no different than a sensor that isn’t expired.  My main concern is that the sensor won’t give me a full 7 days, or even longer, but we shall see.

If you are reading this, please remember that I am not a doctor, I never wanted to be a doctor, and I never will be a doctor. I don’t give medical advice because I am not qualified to do so. What I do to manage my diabetes may not be things that you should do to manage your diabetes.

Let me know your past experiences with older sensors.

 

One Heck of a Dexcom Ride

Chris Stocker 1 Comment

The other day I went on one heck of a Dexcom ride.  I don’t like roller coasters because I have a serious fear of heights and have a firm belief that my death will come by way of a poisonous snake bite or a roller coaster coming off the tracks.  Therefore, I avoid roller coasters.  However, I cannot avoid those diabetes blood sugar roller coasters at all times.  Even though I try to, they still occur.

I haven’t had one in a while, but boy did I have one on Wednesday.  Tuesday night I was high, near the 300’s.  By the time I woke up in the morning, I had it down to about 120-ish.  Then I ate lunch and it went back up.  Right before dinner I went low to about 60-ish.  I was going to be eating chicken and rice, so I figured I would wait until halfway through my meal to take my insulin because I didn’t want to go super low while I was eating.  That’s when the steep increase at the beginning of the coaster started.  I went from a bg of 70 to a bg of 370 in under an hour.  I have NEVER gone that high, that fast.  In fact, I didn’t even think it was possible.  If it wasn’t for testing my blood sugar to make sure my Dexcom was giving me the right numbers, I would have never believed it. Read More

Blinded vs Unblinded CGM Usage

Chris Stocker 1 Comment

During one of the Roche Social Media Summit sessions, the idea of blinded vs unblinded data was brought up. I’m not going to go into detail on why it was brought up or in regards to what product, because I just want to discuss the concept as a whole.

First, let me explain what blind vs unblinded data is. Blinded data, in regards to diabetes, is data that is collected in which the patient does not have direct access to. For example, if a patient is put on a 7 day trial of a Dexcom (or other CGM) to either trial the product or to have a 24 hour look at a patient’s blood sugar levels. This data will be used by the doctors to make a decision on your treatment plan. If the data is blinded then you as the patient cannot see the real time data, but will be shown graphs by the doctor after the determined time frame has passed. Read More

Endo Appointment, Bad A1C, and Apidra Costs Too Much

Chris Stocker

I just got home from my endo appointment about 20 minutes ago, and I wanted to write this blog post while everything was still fresh in my mind.  First, let me mention what some of my thoughts were going into this appointment.  I knew my A1C was going to be high, actually, probably the highest it’s been since being diagnosed.  Why did I think this?  Because my meter results over the last three months say so.  I also knew that I did not wear my Dexcom at all during the last 60 days, so I knew that was going to be a point of discussion.  Finally, I did not reach my goal for my weight loss.  Now, onto what happened. Read More

16 Successful Dexcom Days Finally Ended

Chris Stocker

My 16 day adventure with Mr. Dexcom has finally ended. Actually it ended last night. It ended on my choice as well, not on Dexcom’s. Last night, the 16th straight day of the same sensor working flawlessly, I decided to go for a swim and get a little workout. My back was beginning to hurt again, so all I wanted to do was just lay in the bath tub and relax for a little bit. I noticed that the Dex was losing its stickiness and with a hot bath, it would most likely come off soon. So, I decided to just remove the Dexcom sensor.

As soon as I did it, I regretted it. I realized that I was only about 3 hours away from my first no-hitter. That really pissed me off. Then, I also realized that I was freaking out because I didn’t know what my blood sugar was just by looking at the Dexcom. My blood sugars were by no means perfect, but overall, in those 16 days, they were a lot better than what they are in a 16 day period without the Dexcom.

When I first got the Dexcom last December, I wore it for 4 days right away and I loved it, but I didn’t put a new sensor in until almost 2-3 weeks later. After that sensor it was almost a month until the next one. Tonight, I realized that I can’t live without it, well, I could technically, but I don’t want to. I want to have a CGM on at all times. First thing I did this morning was put on a new sensor.

I didn’t put a new one on last night because I knew I was having pasta for dinner and that my blood sugar would most likely go high. I didn’t want to insert a sensor with a BG that would be at about 300 when I inserted and would drop to about 120 before bed, too much funkiness for it to handle.

Now, the only difficult part? Downloading all the graphs. Dexcom, can you please just make a Mac compatible software? I have a virtual machine on my Mac, but I use it…maybe once every 6 months, and that’s being nice. And one of the reasons I don’t use a PC anymore, every time I log on to it, there’s about 50 security updates and it takes 3 hours just to load them all and it’s not worth it to me. Why must companies force me to live in a PC world?

One thing is for sure though, I love my Dexcom!